WASHINGTON (April 27, 2005)—National Geographic Ventures (NGV) has promoted Lisa Truitt to the newly created position of president, giant-screen films and special projects, it was announced today by Tim Kelly, president, National Geographic Ventures. Formerly executive producer of giant-screen films and special projects for NGV, Truitt assumes her new position immediately.

Truitt has headed NGV’s giant-screen division since 1996. During that time, she has produced “Mysteries of Egypt,” the fifth-highest-grossing giant-screen film of all time, with more than $100 million in box office. In 2002, she was producer of the giant-screen historical drama “Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West,” chronicling the adventures of the Lewis and Clark expedition to coincide with its 200th anniversary. Most recently, she served as executive producer of the two critically acclaimed 2004 releases from National Geographic, “ROAR: Lions of the Kalahari” and “Forces of Nature.”

“In my opinion, Lisa’s films have set a new standard in the giant-screen industry,” said Kelly. “She has the rare combination of strong creative expertise and excellent business skills.”

In her role as executive producer, Truitt’s responsibilities grew from managing all creative and production aspects of National Geographic’s giant-screen film properties to overseeing the financing, distribution and marketing aspects of National Geographic’s giant-screen business. As president, giant-screen films and special projects, Truitt has also been appointed to the board of trustees of Destination Cinema Inc., a theater operator and film distributor in which NGV holds a majority interest.

Prior to her work in giant-screen film, Truitt was an award-winning filmmaker initially for National Geographic Explorer, where she produced such films as “Africa: Playing God with Nature?” and “Amazon Bronze.” In 1995, she moved to the National Geographic Natural History Unit, where she produced the ratings star “Arctic Kingdom,” which aired on NBC.

Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge while promoting the conservation of the world’s cultural, historical and natural resources. National Geographic Ventures is a wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of the National Geographic Society that creates and distributes content across many different platforms and media. NGV business units include National Geographic Television & Film, Giant-Screen Film and Special Projects, National Geographic Feature Films, National Geographic Digital Media and National Geographic Maps.